Mission

To conserve and enhance Marin’s natural resources, including its soil, water, vegetation and wildlife, through community-based conservation and restoration.    

Vision

A West Marin where nature and people thrive together; where everyone collaborates so that clean water flows, healthy soils grow, and abundant wildlife flourish. 

What Does Marin RCD Do?

Encompassing the lands and communities of West Marin County, the Marin RCD has the power to connect federal, state, and local funding to landowners and land stewards in a voluntary, non-regulatory manner. For more than sixty years, Marin RCD has provided a framework for agricultural producers, public agencies, nonprofit partners, a Tribal nation, and many individuals to support the sustainability of our natural resources and our communities. The core of our work includes: 

• Helping people care for soil, water, and other resources. Our hands-on conservation work centers around providing financial and technical tools and assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and other public, private, and Tribal land managers steward agricultural and natural lands sustainably. At the heart of the Marin RCD’s promise is our voluntary approach to conservation: We assist landowners, land managers, lessees, and land stewards at their request, with the services that work for them.    

• Restoring streams and landscapes. We manage important and complex restoration projects from start to finish, with measurable benefits to water quality and endangered species recovery. Our projects are aimed at enhancing clean water, cultivating healthy soils, and maintaining abundant wildlife to increase climate resilience, contributing to community and sustaining the unique ecosystems of our region. 

• Bringing people and resources together to reach shared goals. As an organization that embodies the connection between Marin’s agricultural and conservation communities, the Marin RCD is uniquely positioned to create and sustain long-term partnerships, incorporate different perspectives, and foster innovative management approaches to address our challenges. We lead through collaboration—bringing our technical expertise, economic resources, and a can-do spirit to drive shared solutions with government agencies, Tribal governments, community organizations, agricultural producers, and residents. We build, guide, and participate in shared initiatives, projects, and fundraising to tackle big issues, from watershed-scale planning to pioneering the first RCD-led climate-smart agriculture program in California. And we leverage our local strengths to bring state, federal, and private resources to support conservation in West Marin.  

 

Guiding Principles

• Collaborative leadership. Our top priority is to foster trusting relationships with Tribal and  community partners, and land stewards. This is the foundation upon which all of our work happens. We know that we are better together when we engage a broad range of people and partners in this effort. 

• Integrity. Our conservation actions in planning, designing, implementation and monitoring are based in science, practical land management, and impactful results. We foster trust with all staff, board, partners, and the public through transparency, professionalism, accountability and mutual respect.    

• Adaptability and innovation. We are resourceful in approaching challenges and responding to opportunities. We work to meet community needs as they arise. We are open to new ideas, and committed to learning. 

• Positivity and gratitude. Our relationships are built on respect, empathy, listening, and responsiveness. We maintain an enthusiastic and positive approach to everything we do. We welcome and value people representing the varied experiences and perspectives from throughout our community to be a part of our work. We hold a sincere appreciation for the natural resources that enhance our watersheds, the people we serve, the partnerships that make us stronger, and our history of learning and growing in conservation. 

Our History

In 1938, in response to congressional enabling legislation and several years of Dust Bowl tragedies, California generated legislation authorizing the formation of soil conservation districts. Division 9 of the CA Public Resources Code gives RCD’s authority to oversee and manage countywide or regional natural resource conservation projects on both public and private lands. The role of the publicly elected RCD Board of Directors is to “take available technical, financial, and educational resources, whatever their source, and focus or coordinate them so that they meet the needs of the local land user and local communities for conservation of soil, water, and related resources”. The original purpose of the districts was to assist landowners with erosion and flood control problems, primarily on agricultural lands.

Today, 100 Resource Conservation Districts (originally called Soil Conservation Districts until 1971) encompass more than 80%of the State. Resource Conservation Districts now have the authority to engage in a broad array of resource conservation activities. In addition to erosion control and project assistance for agricultural lands, the district’s function has expanded to include: agricultural land conservation, watershed planning and management, water conservation, water quality protection and enhancement, soil and water management on non–agricultural lands, wildlife habitat enhancement, wetland conservation, irrigation management, conservation education and forest stewardship.

For more information about RCDs please visit the California RCD website.

Marin RCD Strategic Plan.pdf

 

Recognition

• 2026 Marin County Ag Commissioner's First Ever On-Farm and Land Stewardship Award - Nancy Scolari
• 2026 CA Association of Resource Conservation District’s RCD Employee of the Year – Emilie Winfield
• 2026 CA Association of Resource Conservation District’s Director of the Year – Sally Gale
• 2025 Environmental Action Committee of West Marin Public Service Award – Nancy Scolari
• 2014 California Association of Resource Conservation Districts District of the Year
• 2014 John M. McPhail, Jr. Green Business Award, Marin Conservation League
• 2014 Certificate of Special Recognition, Congressman Jared Huffman
• 2014 Certificate of Recognition, Noreen Evans, Senator 3rd District
• 2014 Certificate of Recognition, Marc Levine, Assemblyman 10th District
• 2013 District Manager Award, CA Association of Resource Conservation Districts – Nancy Scolari
• 2012 Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Partner Leadership Award – Nancy Scolari
• 2011 Certificate of Recognition – West Marin Agricultural Co-Compost Project
• 2010 Certificate of Special Recognition – 50 years of conservation, Lynn Woolsey Congresswoman 6th District
• 2010 Resolution of Commendation 50 Years, Marin County Board of Supervisors
• 2010 Certificate of Recognition, Jared Huffman, Assemblyman
• 2005 White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation Recognition
• 2005 California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award
• 2004 USDA NRCS Partners in Conservation Award
• 1998 Marin Conservation League Ted Wellman Water Award
• 1984 County of Marin Resolution of Commendation